Species
Version 0.17: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.
In Dungeon Crawl, species selection determines a character's stats, background choices, skill aptitudes, special abilities and equipment options.
The game offers 26 different playable species. Most are essentially humanoid, although some are human-animal hybrids and a few are even stranger.
Contents
Species List
- Centaur (Ce): A humanoid with a horse's lower half. Its four hooves allow it to run very quickly, but it is poor at most things apart from ranged combat.
- Deep Dwarf (DD): A cousin of the (now obsolete) mountain dwarf, unable to regenerate but with a strong empathy for the earth and the ability to intrinsically resist small doses of damage.
- Deep Elf (DE): A cave-dwelling species of elf, smaller and weaker than others, but with incredible magical ability. A very good choice for spellcasters.
- Demigod (Dg): A human with divine heritage that prevents them from worshipping any god. They have excellent statistics, but need more experience for both their skills and their leveling.
- Demonspawn (Ds): A person with a demonic heritage. Unlike Demigods, they may lend their services to all gods except the good ones. They acquire powerful mutations as they mature.
- Draconian (Dr): A humanoid dragon that eventually matures into a random adult form, with different aptitudes based on its colour.
- Felid (Fe): A sentient house cat that is incapable of using almost all forms of equipment and many items, but is fast, stealthy, and has multiple lives.
- Formicid (Fo): A humanoid ant with four powerful arms. They can dig through walls, but have permanent stasis.
- Gargoyle (Gr): A humanoid with stone-like skin and a large set of intrinsic characteristics.
- Ghoul (Gh): A terrible undead corpse which must eat the flesh of others to maintain its life force. Has manageable (if below-average) aptitudes for magic and is fairly skilled with its claws.
- Halfling (Ha): A small humanoid that cannot use large weapons and is poor with most magic, but is otherwise quite hardy and stealthy. They excel with Slings.
- High Elf (HE): A species of tall, long-lived elf, with many enhanced aptitudes. They advance in levels very slowly.
- Hill Orc (HO): A brutish species, related to the cave orcs who can be found all over the Dungeon and in the Orcish Mines. They make excellent warriors and have their own god.
- Human (Hu): The basic species against which all others are measured. They have average aptitudes across the board and no special abilities, but gain levels at the fastest possible rate.
- Kobold (Ko): A tiny, hateful lizard-like being with a powerful stomach. They level quickly and are quite good as sneaky assassins.
- Merfolk (Mf): An aquatic, magical race of half-humanoids, half-fish that thrive in the water. Great aptitudes for Transmutations, Polearms, and Ice Magic.
- Minotaur (Mi): A brawny, bipedal bovine species. Great at all forms of physical combat (both ranged and up close), but horrible with all forms of magic.
- Mummy (Mu): Animated by an unholy magic, this dry and bandaged corpse needs no food to survive. However, their skills advance slowly and they fear fire above all else.
- Naga (Na): A humanoid with a serpentine lower half. Exceptionally stealthy and skilled with Poison Magic, but moves very slowly.
- Octopode (Op): An amphibious squid-like creature with eight tentacles. Cannot wear most types of armour (only hats), but can wear eight rings and is at home in water.
- Ogre (Og): Enormous and bloodthirsty, its interests include hitting things and throwing things.
- Spriggan (Sp): A very small fairy-like humanoid. They move swiftly and have high aptitudes for many schools of magic, but cannot eat meat or wear most forms of armour.
- Tengu (Te): A somewhat fragile bird-like species with a beak, talons, and a propensity for violence, both physical and magical. They eventually learn to fly.
- Troll (Tr): Even larger and stronger than the ogre, with huge claws, incredible regeneration and a near-infinite hunger.
- Vampire (Vp): A sneaky, undead humanoid which can become alive by drinking fresh blood. Exceptional at disabling foes, then stabbing them in the back.
- Vine Stalker (VS): A fragile creature made of vines. They have a powerful bite attack and regenerate swiftly.
Table of Aptitudes
Your species choice determines aptitudes, the speed at which you learn different skills.
The following tables list aptitudes for each species and skill combination.
General Skills
| Species | Arm | Ddg | Shd | Sth | Inv | Evo | Shp | HP | MP | Exp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armataur | 2 | -3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Barachi | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Coglin | -1 | -1 | -3 | -1 | -2 | 3 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deep Elf | -2 | 2 | -2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -2 | 2 | -1 |
| Demigod | -1 | -1 | -1 | 0 | N/A | -1 | -2 | 1 | 2 | -2 |
| Demonspawn | -1 | -1 | -1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| Djinni | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | -2 | -1 | N/A | 1 |
| Draconian | N/A | -1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Felid | N/A | 3 | N/A | 4 | 0 | 1 | -2 | -3 | 1 | -1 |
| Formicid | 1 | -1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gargoyle | 1 | -2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | -1 | -3 | -2 | 0 | 0 |
| Ghoul | -1 | -1 | -1 | 2 | 1 | -1 | N/A | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Gnoll | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Human | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kobold | -2 | 2 | -2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | -1 | -2 | 0 | 1 |
| Merfolk | -3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Minotaur | 2 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 | -1 | -3 | 1 | -1 | -1 |
| Mountain Dwarf | 1 | -3 | 1 | -2 | 3 | 1 | -2 | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Mummy | -2 | -2 | -2 | -1 | -1 | -2 | N/A | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| Naga | -2 | -2 | -1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Octopode | N/A | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | -1 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oni | -1 | -1 | -1 | -2 | 2 | -2 | -1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Spriggan | -3 | 3 | -3 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | -3 | 1 | -1 |
| Tengu | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 | -2 | -2 | 1 | 0 |
| Troll | -2 | -2 | -1 | -5 | -1 | -3 | -1 | 3 | -1 | -1 |
| Vampire | -2 | 1 | -1 | 5 | -1 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| Vine Stalker | -2 | -2 | -1 | 3 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -3 | 1 | 0 |
Melee & Ranged Combat
| Species | Fgt | M&F | Axs | Pla | Stv | UC | Thr | SBl | LBl | RW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armataur | -1 | -1 | -2 | -2 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -3 |
| Barachi | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Coglin | 0 | -1 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| Deep Elf | -2 | -3 | -2 | -3 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 3 |
| Demigod | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| Demonspawn | 0 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| Djinni | 0 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -1 | 0 | -2 | -1 | -1 | -2 |
| Draconian | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| Felid | 0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Formicid | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gargoyle | 1 | 0 | -1 | -1 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -1 | 0 |
| Ghoul | 1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | 1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| Gnoll | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Human | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kobold | 1 | -1 | -2 | -2 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 3 |
| Merfolk | 1 | -2 | -2 | 3 | -2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -2 |
| Minotaur | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Mountain Dwarf | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -2 | -2 | -1 | -2 |
| Mummy | 0 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 |
| Naga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| Octopode | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oni | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -3 |
| Spriggan | -2 | -3 | -2 | -3 | -3 | -2 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 0 |
| Tengu | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Troll | -2 | -1 | -2 | -2 | -2 | 0 | -1 | -2 | -2 | -4 |
| Vampire | -1 | -2 | -1 | -1 | -2 | 1 | -2 | 1 | 0 | -2 |
| Vine Stalker | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
Spellcasting and Magic
| Species | Spc | Coj | Hex | Sum | Nec | Trl | Alc | Fir | Ice | Air | Ear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armataur | -2 | -1 | -1 | -2 | -2 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| Barachi | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Coglin | -2 | -1 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| Deep Elf | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Demigod | -2 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| Demonspawn | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| Djinni | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Draconian | -1 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Felid | -1 | -1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| Formicid | 0 | -1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 2 |
| Gargoyle | -1 | 1 | -1 | -1 | -2 | -1 | -2 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 2 |
| Ghoul | -2 | -2 | -2 | -1 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -2 | 1 | -2 | 1 |
| Gnoll | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Human | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kobold | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merfolk | -1 | -2 | 0 | 0 | -2 | -2 | 3 | -3 | 1 | -2 | -2 |
| Minotaur | -4 | -3 | -4 | -3 | -3 | -3 | -3 | -3 | -3 | -3 | -2 |
| Mountain Dwarf | -2 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -2 | -2 | 2 | -1 | -3 | 1 |
| Mummy | 2 | -2 | -1 | -2 | 0 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 |
| Naga | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Octopode | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oni | 1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| Spriggan | 2 | -3 | 2 | -2 | -1 | 4 | 1 | -2 | -2 | -1 | -1 |
| Tengu | -1 | 3 | -3 | 2 | 1 | -2 | -1 | 1 | -1 | 3 | -3 |
| Troll | -5 | -3 | -4 | -3 | -2 | -3 | -3 | -3 | -3 | -4 | -1 |
| Vampire | -1 | -3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 1 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vine Stalker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
History
The following races were added/removed in the given versions. If not otherwise specified, a race was present in the first version of DCSS.
Removed races
- Elf (El) - Removed in 0.3
- Hill Dwarf (HD) - Removed in 0.3
- Grey Elf (GE) - Removed in 0.5
- Ogre-mage (OM) - Removed/merged with Ogre in 0.5
- Gnome (Gn) - Removed in 0.5
- Mountain Dwarf (MD) - Removed in 0.10
- Sludge Elf (SE) - Removed in 0.13
Added
- Vampire (Vp) - Added in 0.4
- Deep Dwarf (DD) - Added in 0.5
- Felid (Fe) - Added in 0.8
- Octopode (Op) - Added in 0.10
- Gargoyle (Gr) - Added in 0.13
- Formicid (Fo) - Added in 0.14
- Vine Stalker (VS) - Added in 0.14
Renamed
Never included in a stable version
- Djinn (Dj) - Originally planned for 0.13 or 0.14
- Lava Orc (LO) - Originally planned for 0.13, 0.14, or 0.15
| Species | |
|---|---|
| Simple | Mountain Dwarf • Minotaur • Merfolk • Gargoyle • Draconian • Troll • Deep Elf • Armataur • Gnoll |
| Intermediate | Human • Kobold • Demonspawn • Djinni • Spriggan • Ghoul • Tengu • Oni • Barachi |
| Advanced | Coglin • Vine Stalker • Vampire • Demigod • Formicid • Naga • Octopode • Felid • Mummy |
